The Matter of Time
by rach3ella
Summary: Hermione has been given a special task by Albus Dumbledore. To fulfill this task, she must travel back in time and change everything to ensure the trust of one man. One man who we have all doubted from the beginning...
1. Memories

The Matter of Time

"Miss Granger, the fate of this man and possibly the Wizarding World as we know it depends on this task. I hope you realize why I am entrusting you with such a task?" Albus Dumbledore said.

"Yes sir, I do." The bushy haired muggle-born responded. It was clear to her why out of hundreds, maybe thousands of perfectly capable witches and wizards, the greatest wizard she had ever known had chose her to complete the task. She was no stranger to the art of time travel what with Professor M providing her with the time turner two years ago to attend all of her classes that overlapped each other. She knew exactly the standard procedure and the regulations of time travel. But this, was a highly different task that she was about to embark on. One where the rules must be broken, much to her discomfort, to succeed. It was also because within the recent events regarding her best friend Harry Potter, she knew and fully understood the delicacy of this task.

"So then the plan is set. Whenever you chose to begin is entirely up to you as well as how to succeed. The less I know the better. I have faith in you Miss Granger. But remember, You-Know-Who will not be afraid to act the second he has gained his trust. So choose your timing wisely. Any questions?"

"Just one Professor," she began. The thought had been bubbling inside her since she was first given the assignment so many nights ago. "Are you sure that I cannot tell my friends about this? I mean of all people Professor, I believe that Harry has a right to know-"

"Ah, Miss Granger, I was wondering when you perk up the courage to ask this question." Dumbledore sighed. "I am afraid that what you have seen in these past few sessions with me will greatly affect Harry's hard headedness. He will not be able to accept the truth as nicely as you have done." But what Hermione had learned over the past few weeks had in fact caused her to doubt herself and her judgement for the first time. She had never seen such things that had confused her more. What this man had been hiding for so long and the fact that he was even capable of compassion at all made the man she had known for almost five years seem like an entirely different being.

"I believe that telling Harry this would not turn out very well. Certainly you have been tempted to tell him about all of this but have you ever thought about what this would do to him emotionally? If what you decide to do while back in his time does in fact change the entire outcome of your life, it is certainly possible that it shall change the outcome of Harry and Ron's as well. Telling Harry about this will just cause him unwanted pain and anger. If you leave straight afterwards then his temper will be your last memory of him. Instead of telling him this, spend as much time with your friends as you can before it is time. Have some laughs, make new, happy memories and keep things light. It will be much better than the alternative." Hermione knew that Dumbledore was right. He was always right. Though _she_ was not emotionally prepared herself for the ultimate changes that could lie ahead, she knew that it would be better to make the memories of her friendships with Ron Weasly and Harry Potter pleasant ones. Hermione nodded slowly and could not help but smile while the memory of the first time the three of them met flashed across her mind.

"I understand…I should probably be getting back to my dorm now." She announced.

"That you should Miss Granger. Good night." The professor said. Hermione took one last look around the room soaking in all of the smells of musty drapes and lemon drops, the way the candles caressed every book, piece of furniture and Dumbledore with a sense of warmth and understanding and the texture of the chair she sat in across the Professor's desk. As she slowly rose from her seat to exit, she glided her soft hands on every surface in her path, making a memory of the office and the wizard who occupied it. This was a happy memory despite the intense circumstances. Though the hours she spent with Dumbledore were often too much for her to handle, it was the only chance she had ever gotten, and might ever get, to be taught by the great wizard himself one on one. It seemed to her that this must be what Harry feels like, having Dumbledore pay attention to only him. She felt so special, so honored to be given this opportunity. Her fingers barely touched the doorknob when she turned to face Dumbledore once more.

"Professor?" Hermione hesitated.

"Yes Miss Granger?"

"If for whatever reason things turn out…much differently…I just wanted to thank you. For everything…you-you're a great wizard." She half whispered. Dumbledore lowered his head and looked straight into her eyes as if he was looking straight into her soul.

"As are you, Hermione Granger." Dumbledore declared with a wink and a smile. Hermione felt her cheeks heat up and a grin growing across her face. She had never heard him use her full name. And with that, Hermione smiled back at him and walked out of the oval office.


	2. Worries

As Hermione headed back for the common room, the sudden realization that she had no idea how she was going to accomplish this task hit her like a Bludger. Panic settled in and she began to feel lightheaded. Arriving at the foot of the Fat Lady, Hermione slid down the wall next to the portrait clutching her head in her now sweaty palms. She went over all of the memories she had explored taking deep breaths and closing her eyes allowing herself to be engulfed in the memories of Dumbledore about Severus Snape. Dumbledore's request had been simple enough; ensure Snape's loyalty to Dumbledore and Dumbledore alone. But how to go about this she had not the slightest clue. The main things she could remember about what she learned was that Snape had longed for Lily Evans. But Snape was a jerk to her and she never looked back once she started falling for James Potter. As Snape wallowed in self-pity he began to follow through with his original plan to become a Death Eater. Some time later, Dumbledore welcomed Snape back to the castle after Snape convinced him that he no longer wanted to be a Death Eater and serve under the command of a monster who took the life of the woman he was in love with. Dumbledore has trusted Snape fully ever since…until recently. Dumbledore had suspected that Snape had been betraying his trust in the final task of the Tri Wizard Tournament last year. He believed that Igor Korkerauf and convinced Snape to switch sides and become faithful to the Dark Lord once more. Apparently Snape's lust for power had overcome his better judgement and made him feel more like a man than Dumbledore ever could. How does one change the mind of such a headstrong and undeniably powerful wizard? The more Hermione began to think back to the memories, the more she doubted herself. This was going to be a lot of work and would take a lot of planning prior to her time travel. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming from further down the hall. Guessing that it might be Filch, Hermione slowly got up and entered the Gryffindor common room. Still racking her brain for a potential plan, Hermione settled herself into the loveseat in front of the dying fire. Dumbledore's words pulsed through her ears; _the fate of this man and possibly the Wizarding World as we know it depends on this task…the Wizarding World…_ So much pressure was upon her that she could not seem to think straight. _I would rather be given a million Finals than do this _she thought.

"Hey," came a familiar voice. Startled, Hermione turned around to find Ron slouched in the doorway from the boy's dormitory. "What are you still doing up?" he asked making his way over to her.

"I could ask you the same question." She said.

"I heard you come in. Where were you? You've been out late almost every night lately-"

"I've been in the library. Studying." She stuttered.

"You know, with all the studying you're doing, your brain might explode. And don't look at me to clean up the mess." Ron joked. Hermione couldn't help but smile. As she looked deep into his brown eyes, sparkling with the reflection from the fire, she couldn't help but lose almost all train of thought. It seemed wrong for someone as brilliant as her to fall for a boy as childish and obnoxious as him, but he made her feel as thought she did not have to be perfect all the time. Like she could let lose and just have fun while she was with him. She could sense that his potential was masked by his laziness and the fear that he would no longer be accepted by his friends if he were to give in to his true brilliance. The fact that Hermione seemed to bring out the "smart guy" in him made her feel responsible for him and made her feel special. It was then that she realized that everything might change for them. If Hermione did something so drastic that Ron would no longer know who she was…She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought. The smile on her face quickly faded and did not go unnoticed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, placing a reassuring arm around her shoulders. His strong arm seemed to be holding her together and Hermione felt herself lean into his chest. She was further comforted by the soft beating of his heart against her ear.

"Hermione?" he whispered. His voice seemed distant as she felt her eyelids close and slowly drifted off to sleep.


	3. Plan Part 1

The next morning, Hermione was surprised to find that Ron was underneath her fast asleep, snoring rather loudly. Feeling a flicker of embarrassment and nervousness, she shot up from the couch and quickly trotted off to her dormitory. Luckily, she entered the room to find that no one else had awoken yet. Still recovering from the shock, Hermione took out _A History of Magic _and began to read. But she could not focus on the text n front of her. After she calmed down about falling asleep in Ron's arms, she quickly got right back into the mind set of how she was going to make sure that Snape would only serve Dumbledore. He was a vial man in her time, always putting down the Gryffindor house and specifically Harry Potter. How on earth would she gather the nerve to talk to him when he was going to be her age? Was it true that he was capable of being sincere? It was hard for Hermione to grasp that Snape was in love with someone. In _love_! And with Harry's mother of all people! It was utterly absurd. It was not possible…could he have been lying to Dumbledore just to have a place to stay? Or to spy on him for the Dark Lord? That was certainly possible… With so many questions and doubts, Hermione could not find any other way to solve her problems than to go back in time and find out for herself if what Dumbledore had shown her was true. But when to do it was the real question. She wasn't ready to leave her time for good. What if everything changed? What if her friends no longer knew who she was? Still staring at the book in front of her, she decided that she would only go back for a little while and just observe. After all, there was no harm in going back if she wasn't seen. She needed to set aside a time and a secret place to do this where no one could find her disappearing. Then she thought of the perfect place, The Room of Requirement. Excited by her plan, she slammed her book shut with a little too much force. Half the girls in the dorm were startled awake, one of them being Ginny Weasly.

"Oi! Do you mind Hermione?" Ginny moaned and she unwillingly rose from her bed. Her long red hair was sticking up in various places and her eyes seemed to be glued shut by the crust lining them. But even with her bed head and an unpleasant frown upon her face, Hermione could not help but feel a ping of jealousy at how beautiful she was.

"Sorry." Hermione apologized. Ginny flicked her wand at her hair and her eyes and in an instant, her hair was brushed and flowing down her back as she got out of bed and her eyes seemed to have brightened and wiped completely clean of the crusts. But her frown still remained as she made her way to the bathroom. Slowly but surely, the other girls in the dorm followed her, fixing their hair and eyes and making their beds as they waited for the bathroom.

"What are you doing up so early anyways?" asked Patil Pavarti. She had just finished making her bed and headed over to her trunk to get out her Dinivination book.

"I was just-"

"Studying?" Ginny finished for her. She was fully dressed and cleaned in her Gryffindor robes.

"You seem to be studying a lot harder than usual. I mean, it's not like you even need to study so, why bother?" Ginny asked almost rudely. Hermione could not think of an answer that would keep her satisfied enough to drop the subject of her studying altogether. What was it with these Weaslys and being so secretly smart?

"Whether I need to or not is not the question. It's important to study! It ensures good grades and besides, I have O. coming up, I cannot afford to let my grades slip now!" Hermione backfired. Ginny rolled her eyes and gathered up some books for her next class.

"Ok, if you say so." And with that Ginny headed off to the common room.

Hermione waited until all of the girls did the same then hopped off her bed, got changed into her robes and fished in her trunk for the time turner. She clasped her hand around the cool metal of the base of the time turner and tangled her fingers through the chain. She pulled it free from the depths of her trunk and untangled the chain from her grasp and placed it around her neck. Fastening the front of robes to hid the chain, she made her way down the steps into the common room. The moment she had a full view of the common room she paused to find Ron still stretched out across the couch. Just then Harry appeared from the other side of the room apparently coming from the boys' dorms.

"Hey Hermione." Harry greeted as he adjusted his tie.

"Morning Harry. Sleep well?"

"Yeah, but it looks like Ron didn't make it to the room." Harry laughed. Hermione managed to smile and unconsciously started playing with her hair. Harry strode over to Ron and started shaking him to consciousness.

"Rise and shine Ron!" Harry teased as Ron stretched his arms.

"What? Where's-"

"Morning Ron!" Hermione interrupted nervously. Her heart beat ten times faster as she met Ron's gaze hopping he would see the panic in her eyes.

"Oh, hey Hermione." Ron said sullenly. He dragged himself up from the couch and waved to Harry on his way up to their dorm. Harry gave Hermione a quizzical look and asked, "What's his problem?" Hermione bit her lip wondering if she should tell him about their "slumber party" last night. Still not sure, she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Want to head down for breakfast?" Harry suggested.

"Sure. But I have to meet up with Professor Flitwick about my Charms essay first. I'll meet you and Ron there." Hermione lied. Harry nodded and headed through the portrait towards the Great Hall. Hermione waited for a few minutes until she was sure that he was off the seventh floor corridor and then made her way to the Room of Requirement.


End file.
